"Stop it!"
"Stop it!"
"You two, stop fighting!"
Arkz kept dodging Diluc's fists, but Kaeya was incredibly sly, hiding behind him and refusing to come out. Worse, he was deliberately provoking Diluc.
Tired of dodging, Arkz vaguely felt like the 'female lead' in a melodramatic idol drama, watching the 'Male Lead Number One' and 'Male Lead Number Two' dance around him in the rain.
Whoosh!
Diluc's fist grazed past Arkz's face; the sheer force of the punch made Arkz's hair tremble.
Arkz was absolutely certain that having those sandbag-sized fists smash into his face would feel incredibly painful.
"Stop!!!"
Arkz roared, grabbing Diluc's fist with one hand and Kaeya's collar with the other, decisively ending the farce.
"How old are you people?!"
"Still fighting around like children. Can't you be a little more composed, like me?"
"Composed?" Diluc recalled the scene where he met Arkz in the trash can and felt an urge to roll his eyes.
"What composed person goes treasure hunting in a trash can."
However, thinking that he himself had been in the trash can, and seeing Kaeya still present and clearly enjoying watching him look foolish, Diluc swallowed the words he was about to blurt out.
Listening to Arkz's reprimand, Diluc's expression remained as cold as usual, though a flicker of embarrassment crossed his eyes. This opportunity to openly lecture Kaeya was right in front of him, making it hard for him to suppress his impulse.
"Diluc has long suffered under Kaeya."
Within the Dawn Winery, the discord between the Eldest Young Master and the Second Young Master was an open secret.
Every time Kaeya returned to the Dawn Winery, the two brothers would inevitably have a huge argument and part on bad terms.
Although these quarrels had an element of performance, sometimes the brothers would genuinely lose their tempers, making it hard to say whether the few punches Diluc landed on Kaeya's face contained some 'personal grievances'.
Diluc gently tried to pull back the fist held by Arkz.
Hmm.
It didn't move.
Seeing this, Kaeya let out a chuckle, and Diluc's face immediately darkened several shades.
Hearing the laughter, Arkz immediately redirected his verbal attack towards Kaeya without mercy.
"And you, Darky!"
"The Cavalry Captain of the Knights of Favonius acting so recklessly—is that appropriate behavior?!"
This torrent of scolding stunned Kaeya. Arkz had hauled him up by the collar like a kitten and placed him on the sofa, and in the process, Kaeya forgot to resist.
Kaeya's mind kept replaying the three words Arkz had just spoken.
"Darky, Darky, Darky..."
No! It's just that my skin is a little darker! Is that really a reason to argue with me!
Under Arkz's overwhelming presence, the dignified Eldest Young Master and Second Young Master of the Dawn Winery sat upright on the sofa, behaving as meekly as scolded primary school students.
This astonished the butler and the head maid, who had heard the servants' report, prepared to come and mediate, but then hesitated upon hearing the commotion inside, peeking in from the doorway.
"I never thought the Young Master and Second Young Master would ever be'suppressed' by someone."
"Indeed. Ever since the Master passed away, I haven't seen the two young masters looking this lively."
Both the butler and the head maid wore expressions of relief.
In their view, Diluc and Kaeya were still brothers. No matter how fiercely they fought, they would reconcile due to their bond.
What they feared most was the two brothers treating each other like strangers, never speaking again.
If they hadn't worried about interrupting the conversation among the three in the living room, the butler and the head maid would have rushed in to give Arkz a thumbs-up and praise him:
"Well said!!!"
As Arkz continued his continuous scolding, the silent reaction from Diluc and Kaeya gradually calmed him down. He suddenly felt so embarrassed by his own 'nonsense' that he wanted to dig a hole to hide in.
"I actually scolded Diluc and Kaeya just like I would scold the neighborhood kids back before I transmigrated. This is a total disaster."
"I originally wanted to discuss cooperation with Diluc, but now it seems the chance of reaching an agreement is no better than Venti not spending the night at the tavern tonight."
As Arkz's reprimand gradually faded until it was barely audible, the entire living room fell into an awkward silence.
Diluc, Kaeya, and Arkz stared at each other, none knowing what to say.
Arkz looked up at the ceiling, meticulously studying the patterns there, as if ancient secret treasures were hidden within the designs.
His seriousness and focus were so intense that even the Scholars of the Sumeru Akademiya would feel ashamed in comparison.
The Diluc and Kaeya brothers, meanwhile, began an 'exchange of glances'.
Kaeya (via eye contact): "Hey, hey, Diluc, say something!"
Diluc (via eye contact): "Why don't you say something!"
"Aren't you usually so quick-witted with your tongue? Why are you silent now? Don't tell me you chickened out!"
Kaeya (via eye contact): "You're slandering me! You're slandering me!"
"Mr. Arkz here is your guest. I shouldn't steal your thunder by speaking over you."
"Sigh! My good intentions have all been fed to the big yellow dog at Second Uncle's house next door."
Diluc's mouth twitched slightly, and three black lines instantly appeared on his forehead. He was utterly speechless at Kaeya's nonsensical rambling.
Setting aside the fact that Kaeya lived in the Knights of Favonius dorms surrounded by other Knights of Favonius, and as a member of the Ragnvindr Family, Diluc's brother, how could he not know that the two brothers had a Second Uncle?
At this moment, the butler and head maid outside the door grew anxious as no sound came from the living room for a long time.
"Oh no, did the Young Masters start fighting with the guest?!"
"That can't be right, the Young Master isn't usually that impulsive."
"You know how it is when the Eldest Young Master and Second Young Master get together. It's like a Slime meeting a Fire Slime—either you Melt me, or I Frozen you. It's like dry kindling meeting a raging fire; it's strange if a spark doesn't fly!"
"Then what should we do?"
"What else can we do? Go in and mediate!"
Creak!
The butler and the head maid pushed the door open, holding the tea and pastries they had prepared earlier.
"Eldest Young Master, Second Young Master, and esteemed guest, please have some pastries and rest for a moment."
Seeing the butler and the head maid, the three who were locked in a standoff immediately let out a breath of relief.
They exchanged glances and surprisingly perceived a sense of mutual appreciation in the other's eyes.
As for whether this standoff was due to stubborn pride or masculine honor, that remained unknown.
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